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Thirty-five entries, including 14 from Ireland, have been made for the Festival Hunters’ Chase at Cheltenham.

To be run this year as The Princess Royal Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Steeple Chase and in its usual slot after the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup on the Friday of the four-day Festival, the contest has attracted entries for last year’s first six. The winner, Wonderwall, is joined once again by Its On The Line, Willitgoahead, Music Drive, Shearer and Carnfunnock.

Music Drive, who finished fourth for Kelly Morgan’s Leicestershire stable, will once again be ridden by Ellie Callwood, who at Kingston Blount on Saturday said: “That was his first run over regulation fences, and then he went back to Cheltenham and won [at the evening hunters’ chase meeting’], so he’s got more experience this time.”

Ellie Callwood: ‘Music Drive has more experience this time (Ce)

Music Drive finished second at Revesby Park in January when three lengths adrift of the Camilla Murphy-trained Linelee King. The winner has since been transferred back to Murphy’s husband Olly and has been entered for the Festival’s hunters’ chase.

Shearer, who was a nose behind Music Drive in last year’s race, is one of two entries from Paul Nicholls’ stable, the other being Golden Son. Nicholls’ daughter, Olive, is expected to ride Golden Son, who has won a pair of hunters’ chases this season, while Gina Andrews has been offered the ride on Shearer, although she has entered Fairly Famous from her Warwickshire yard.

Cheshire trainer Joe O’Shea has entered six horses, including last year’s Randox Foxhunters’ Chase winner Gracchus De Balme and the very talented Barton Snow, who has won his six most recent starts.

Cheltenham racecourse, scene of the greatest jump racing Festival (Ce)

Since the end of WWII just three 13-year-old horses have won the race, the most recent being dual winner Earthmover who scored for Nicholls’ stable in 2004. The Lily Bradstock-trained Myth Buster and D’jango from Tor Collins’ yard are from that age group and entered this year, while a quartet of 12-year-olds include the O’Shea-trained Time Leader, who was third to Sine Nomine two years ago, and the consistent winner Rebel Dawn Rising from David Kemp’s stable. The Sara McQueen-trained Haven’t Time, who has seen the rear of Golden Son in two starts this season, is another 12-year-old with an entry.

Former Cheltenham Festival winners who are in the hunters’ chase include Stattler, who won the 2022 running of the NH Chase and is now trained for owner Ronnie Bartlett by Faye Bramley, while What A Glance, who finished twelfth in last year’s race, but who has a Pertemps Champion Hunters’ Chase win on his CV, has been entered from Tom Britten’s stable.